Paunch Can Be A Cushion In Car Crash

(From The Los Angeles Times)

For men, car crashes are yet another reason to lose weight. But not too much weight.

Being obese increases a man's chances of dying in an autombile accident, but having a little bit of a paunch might cushion the blow, say scientists at THE INJURY RESEARCH CENTER of The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

Skinny men are more likely than normal-weight men to die in a crash, they found after analyzing data from more than 22,000 traffic accidents.

Women of any size and body mass index, however, got no added protection or harm regardless of the shape they were in.

"It might be the difference in fat distribution," says SHANKUAN ZHU, author of the study. Men who are obese tend to resemble apples.

When compared to the average American adult male, crash dummies are downright buff at 5 feet 10 inches and 170 pounds. That's the body shape and mass that air bags are designed to protect and seat belts made to fit.